Principal, John Mason, asks, “Is there a disconnect between what people imagine a career to be and what it really is?”
We see people leaving education, leaving school, college, TAFEs, universities with qualifications. But these qualifications may not give them the knowledge they require. This can mean that they are also not capable of doing the jobs that are out there.
Worldwide we are seeing staff shortages in many different industries –
- Horticulture
- Agriculture
- Digital skills
And more.
This could be because people simply aren’t drawn to careers in those industries, or that the education system is not preparing them to work in these sectors. Or a mixture of both.
John says, “Some industries desperately need knowledgeable and capable professionals. Is this because of a disconnect between the education industry and the industries they feed? Maybe it is a disconnect between industries and the people who influence school leavers.”
Or is there a disconnect between what schools and teachers are telling students and what their actual career possibilities are?
It is hard to know, but we do know that we are living in a changing world.
- People are changing careers more often. It is estimated that people will change careers, on average, seven times during their lifetimes.
- People do not stay in the same jobs for life anymore. The average length of a job is two to five years.
- People need to train for these new jobs and frequently update their knowledge. Learning is definitely lifelong now, not something that ends when you finish full time education.
When we look at training and education, we have to consider, do the courses on offer provide capable and knowledgeable staff?
What is knowledge and why is it important?
This may sound like an obvious question, but let’s just clarify what knowledge actually is. Knowledge is a wide range of things –
- Facts acquired through education or experience.
- Skills developed through education or experience.
- Information gained through education and experience.
- It can be a theoretical or practical understanding of a particular topic.
- It is also a familiarity or awareness of a situation or fact that is also gained by education, experience and familiarity.
So a person studying a course or attending an educational establishment will develop knowledge through education or experience.
An example – a student studying horticulture will gain a certain level of understanding about the factors, information and skills required.
In the modern world, there is a need for –
- Detailed and specific knowledge – The world has changed. It is a cliché but in the past, a cobbler would make a shoe from start to finish. Today, people have very specialised jobs. If someone was involved in making shoes, they might be a designer, the heel maker, making laces, packaging, marketing, selling, managing staff etc. There would be a wide range of different jobs requiring different knowledge. In each of those jobs, the person would require detailed and specific knowledge.
- Up to date knowledge – They would also require up to date knowledge. The world is changing. What was required ten years ago could be very different today.
Therefore, for anyone studying a course, they need to ensure that the knowledge they gain is up to date, specific and useful.
But that is only half of what is necessary. They also need to be capable.
What is capability and why is it important?
Capability is the power or ability to do something. It is also the –
- Skills
- Aptitude
- Knowledge
That you have.
For example, the ability to
- Recognise what plant should be planted where
- Use counselling skills correctly
- Manage staff
- Be punctual and show good time keeping
If you have great knowledge, but do not have the ability to use that knowledge in a useful way, then it is likely that you will demonstrate poor work performance.
To work effectively in the modern world, workers therefore need knowledge and capability.
At ACS, we have worked for over four decades to encourage people to develop their knowledge. Yes. But we have also encouraged them to become capable. We want students who come out of our courses with knowledge about their subject AND the ability to do something with that knowledge – that is, demonstrating their capability.
Capability and knowledge are therefore important in the modern world and something that course providers need to consider.
Pumping people full of knowledge and facts is simply not enough. A useful employee or business owner needs to know what to do with that knowledge and information.
- Would you like to offer courses encouraging students to improve their knowledge and develop their capability?
- Would you like to set up your own online education school?
- Or expand an existing education business?
If the answer is yes to any of these questions, then why not get in touch with us and find out more about ACS – the online education provider that encourages students to develop knowledge and capability.